haydock Racecourse

Haydock Racecourse is one of the best attended in the UK, situated near Manchester and Liverpool, it hosts 32 fixtures per year on both the flat and over the jumps. Major flat meetings include the Temple Stakes, Lancashire Oaks, Rose of Lancaster Stakes, Old Newton Cup and the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup in September. The Grade 1 Betfair Chase in November and Grand National Trial in February are the biggest races in the annual jumps programme.

Overview

Flat Course

Jumps Course

An equal distance from Manchester and Liverpoool, Haydock Racecourse on Merseyside, opened in 1899 and is one of the best attended courses in the UK, it hosts 32 fixtures per year on both the flat and over the jumps. Major flat meetings include the Temple Stakes, Lancashire Oaks and the Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup in September. The Grade 1 Betfair Chase in November and the Grand National Trial are the biggest races in the annual jumps programme.

The flat course is a left handed galloping 1m 5f oval-shaped track with a home straight of four and a half furlongs, which rises steadily all the way to the line. In races over 7f the runners tend to stick towards the far rail in the straight, although when the ground is soft they can often switch nearer the stand side rail. A good position when turning in is often important regardless of the ground. The straight course hosts the 5f and 6f srpint races, with runners usually racing down the centre of the track. Good or firmer conditions tend to place the emphasis on speed, with front runners having a distinct advantage.

A left-handed 1m5f oval-shaped circuit. A galloping flat track, the hurdles races consist of six flights per circuit whilst the chase races feature nine fences per circuit, including two open ditches. Conditions are often gruelling during winter, placing emphasis on stamina. Conversely, conditions at the Swinton Meeting in May usually place the emphasis on speed, with a tendency to favour those ridden prominently as a result. Since the 2013/14 season chases have been run on the outer Flat course rather than on their traditional track. The course certainly is not as stiff as it used to be, but it’s still tough for a novice, because the fences perhaps don’t ride quite as well as they used to. On the whole, however, it’s a very fair course, and a good test, though when the ground’s quick it can feel a bit like concrete.

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Stat of the Day
- Haydock

15/04/2017

42%

Jockey Daryl Jacob has a strike rate of 42% on favourites over hurdles since 2012 – Check out his ride on SECRET DOOR in the 3:50pm at Haydock today